Social Media Etiquette Tips

Alright, I admit it. The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is turn on my phone and look at my social media feeds. I’m not sure if that is a good or bad thing, but I find that social media can be a fun tool and great way to engage with friends, family and brands. It is pretty cool that we have the opportunity to reconnect with so many people like friends from high school or long lost relatives who we may have not so easily been able to reconnect with. For me, social media has also become the first place I typically learn about the latest news in the world and what my friends and family have been up to.

Engaging with social media can develop community and offer support across the world that otherwise would be challenging to achieve. But it can also be a tough space, as not everyone knows how to politely and properly communicate through these channels. It has become such an engrained part of our society
so it is almost a necessity to feel comfortable using it on a daily basis.

Here are four tips on social media etiquette that I have learned over the past several years that I always think through before posting.

Know Your Audience: Before you write your post, take a second to think about who will be reading it. Are most of your followers other moms, family or friends from college? Or maybe it’s all of the above and that is great, just make sure that you aren’t sharing details about your latest barre class when a majority of your audience includes your out-of-state relatives who will think you are talking about the bar exam… Also, keep in mind what channel you are posting on and why. Instagram is ideal for sharing a single image or a few snapshot images all relating to the same topic. Whereas Twitter is the best place to share a short message of text in 140 characters or less. Or maybe you want to share a detailed message, videos and full photo album, Facebook would be the best spot for that. Think about how you want your message presented and choose the right outlet for it before getting started.

Avoid Over Posting: As much as you love your cat or dog, and think that your followers want to see multiple photos or videos of it eating treats and running around throughout the day, they most likely don’t. No one is going to be as obsessed as you are and most people quickly get bored when inundated with the same information all day. Change up your subject matters and try to stick to just one or two posts per social media outlet each day. This will keep your followers wanting more!

Check Spelling and Photo Backgrounds: When posting from a phone it’s easy to mistype or forget a word. Read back through your message before hitting the post button just to double-check for any spelling errors. Also, if you’re posting a photo or video, review the background to make sure anything odd isn’t occurring that you may not have previously noticed.

Be Kind: Sadly there is so much negativity in our world today. One of the hardest parts about being on social media are the comments and responses people leave one another. If you find that you’re not enjoying someone’s posts anymore or find something offensive, either contact that person privately or just unfollow them. It will make you both feel much better than potentially being negative toward someone or having them resort to being unkind back to you. It is also important to remember that social media posts are just a snippet of someone’s twenty four hour day. It is easy to make your life look perfect on social media. Try not to judge people from one post and remember it’s not the full picture.

Trying using these tips to help make social media a better experience for everyone. Do you have any other social media tips? I’d love to hear them! Please share in the comments below.